Electronic displays are found in numerous types of electronic devices including, without limitation, electronic book (“eBook”) readers, mobile phones, laptop computers, desktop computers, televisions, appliances, automotive electronics, and augmented reality devices. Electronic displays may present various types of information, such as user interfaces, device operational status, digital content items, and the like, depending on the kind and purpose of the associated device.
The appearance and quality of a display may affect a user's experience with the electronic device and the content presented thereon. Furthermore, increased multimedia use imposes high demands on designing, packaging, and fabricating display devices. As content available for mobile use becomes more extensive and device portability continues to be a high priority to the consumer, display manufacturers continue to reduce the dimensions of a display while retaining the size and resolution of the image; space outside of the pixel area for positioning essential circuit components is becoming more and more limited.
An electrowetting display includes an array of pixels individually bordered by pixel walls that retain fluid, such as an opaque oil, for example. Light transmission through each pixel is adjustable by electronically controlling a position of the fluid in the pixel. Due to fabrication techniques, electrowetting and other pixel-based displays often have malfunctioning or poor-quality pixels near the edges of the pixel area. As a result, several rows (at the top and bottom) and columns (at the left and right sides) of pixels at the edges of the pixel area are rendered into “dummy” pixels that remain black throughout operation of the display, creating a border around the active pixel area.